By CYRUS R. EDMONDS. 2 Vols.
As the foundation of the American Republic is attributable to British
error, its history is identified with our own. Those who have related
the events of that memorable period, and drawn the character of
the patriot-general, living too near the epoch, were dazzled, and
discovered only the beauty of republican principles. Written when
party-feeling had died away, and limited monarchy allowed to vindicate
its superiority, Mr. Edmonds’s Life of Washington is free from that
nationality which disfigures biography, and fearlessly defends British
institutions against the advocates of democracy. The more voluminous
memoirs of the virtuous republican chief abound with American
prejudices; these volumes are English both in style and sentiment.